


Faking Spirits Bright

by SuburbanSun



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Christmas Party, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Office Party, Roswell Advent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21653911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuburbanSun/pseuds/SuburbanSun
Summary: Unless he wants to get set up with every son, grandson, and nephew his new coworkers have, Alex needs to find a date to the office holiday party ASAP. Maybe the cute, curly-haired barista who gives him free croissants can help with that.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 101
Kudos: 256
Collections: Roswell Advent





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Roswell Prompts Advent Day 2 prompt: "fake dating"

“The usual?” 

Alex smiled at the curly-haired man behind the counter of his corner coffee shop. “Yeah, and maybe a croissant, too?” It was only mid-morning, but solving the IT problems of people who didn’t know the shift key from the space bar could really work up an appetite. 

“You got it.” He pulled one out of the pastry case with tongs and slipped it into a paper sack, spinning around to foam Alex’s milk with practiced ease. Every time Alex came into the shop— which had increased from once or twice a week when he’d started his job three months ago to almost every day now— he couldn’t help but admire the way the barista moved behind the counter, all swagger and grace. It didn’t hurt that he was incredibly easy on the eyes. 

“You want an extra shot in this?” 

Alex shook away his thoughts and looked up to see the barista holding up a cup, his eyebrows raised in a question. 

“It’s just, you’re looking even more conflicted than usual this morning. Thought a jolt of caffeine might help.” 

Did he really come into the coffee shop so often that his usual barista could read his expressions? Alex wondered if maybe he should consider cutting back for the sake of his budget— until the barista flashed a smirk that made him forget all about the idea. 

“Yeah, that sounds great, actually. Thanks.” 

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked as he finished making Alex’s drink. 

“You sound like a bartender. Or maybe a therapist.” 

The man shrugged and pushed the paper cup across the counter. “Or a guy with no customers at 11 in the morning. C’mon, your croissant’s on the house if you entertain me for a few minutes.” He leaned both elbows on the counter by the register and looked up at Alex, who had the wild, fleeting thought that he’d never be able to say no to those eyes. 

“Ok. What do you want to know?”

“Your name, for one. We can’t keep meeting like this without even knowing each other’s names.”

Alex chuckled, and leaned his hip against the counter, angling his body toward the barista. “Alex.”

“I’m Michael.” 

“Nice to meet you, Michael.” 

Michael smiled up at him. “Likewise. So what’s got you needing an extra shot of espresso this morning?” 

Alex puffed out his cheeks in an exhale. “My coworkers are a little much, that’s all.”

“Your coworkers down at the…” He looked Alex up and down slowly, taking in his brown Oxfords, his dark khakis, his navy buttondown, and Alex had to resist the urge to fidget. “Coal mine? Strip club?” 

“Accounting firm,” Alex answered with a grimace. “I’m in the IT department… actually, I _am_ the IT department.” 

“Ah, that explains the khakis.” The teasing glint in Michael’s eye made something flutter in Alex’s stomach. “Lemme guess, there’s a lot of ‘have you tried turning it off and on again?’” 

“No— well, yes, but that’s not the problem.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s a small firm, and almost everyone there is twice my age. They mean well, but…”

“But?” 

Alex sighed. “They all have at least one son, nephew, or next-door-neighbor’s kid that they’re determined to set me up with. I think I’ve been on six blind dates since I started back in September. All terrible, by the way. And then I have to face the guy’s mom or uncle or parents’ neighbor at the office the next day.” 

Michael eyed him thoughtfully, then pushed himself up to standing. He cleared his throat and pulled out a box from underneath the counter, opening it and restocking the straws to the left of the register. 

“Can’t you just say no?” 

“I’ve started to, yeah. But then today, Sheryl mentioned she was going to invite her dog groomer’s son to our holiday party. Says she’s pretty sure he’s about my age.” 

Michael laughed. “Hey, at least you know he’ll be well-groomed.” 

Alex rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he and Andrew’s cousin’s son, and Bob’s contractor’s kid, and Melissa’s grand-nephew, all of whom will _also_ be in attendance at the party.”

Michael whistled. “Sounds like you’re the new star of The Bachelor: IT Edition.” 

“That’s not even the worst part,” Alex responded, his voice muffled as he ran a hand down his face in frustration. Michael raised his eyebrows, tossing the empty straw box in the trash without even looking. “I may have snapped this morning. And I may have told them I couldn’t meet any of these guys, because I’d be bringing a date to the party.” 

“Oh. Well, that sounds like a good enough excuse, at least. Can’t argue with that.” 

“The only problem is, I’m not bringing a date.” Alex frowned, remembering the looks on their faces when he’d told them he wouldn’t be coming alone. What had he been thinking? “I’m not seeing anyone. I barely even _know_ anyone in this town.”

“Uh oh.”

He laughed bitterly. “That’s an understatement. The party’s on Friday. And today’s…”

“Wednesday,” Michael finished. The bell over the door jingled as another customer entered, drawing both of their attention for a moment. As the woman perused the chalkboard menu, Michael rang up Alex’s coffee. “Well, you really earned that croissant.” 

Alex chuckled. “Thanks.” He swiped his card and signed his name, feeling the tiniest bit better for having gotten his problem off his chest. At least someone else understood the predicament he was in. “See you tomorrow,” he said with a wave, picking up his drink and pastry as the new customer stepped toward the register.

“Wait— Alex.”

He turned back with his hand on the doorknob to see Michael looking torn. He hesitated, then held up one finger to the woman and strode out from behind the counter to meet Alex by the front. 

“I think I might have a solution to your problem. If you’re interested.” 

Alex cocked his head to the side. “You’re going to find me a new job where my coworkers understand acceptable workplace boundaries?” 

“Ah— nope, can’t do that.” He ran a hand through his curls, the sight of which almost distracted Alex from his problem entirely, until Michael continued. “But we close at 4 on Fridays. And working in customer service has gotten me _pretty_ great at making small talk with old people.”

Alex furrowed his brow. “What are you saying?” 

“I’m saying… need a date?”


	2. Chapter 2

By 7 o’clock on Friday, Alex felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin. He’d made it home from work in time to eat a quick dinner and change out of his bland work clothes into something that felt a little bit more him— dark jeans, untucked shirt, worn-in leather jacket. Now, he was just perched on his couch waiting to hear Michael’s knock at the door.

He’d offered to meet him at the bar where the party was being held, but Michael had insisted on coming by to pick him up. _“It’ll be more realistic this way, us showing up together_ ,” he’d said when Alex had stopped by the coffee shop on Thursday. It hadn’t exactly taken much convincing for Alex to scrawl his address on a napkin and slide it across the counter with butterflies in his stomach he tried to ignore.

A day later, the whole idea was feeling more and more absurd, though, and Alex drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch. He wondered if he should text Michael— they’d exchanged numbers as well as addresses, which had done nothing to help the butterfly situation— and call the whole thing off, when—

_Knock… knock-knock-knock._

Alex jumped up and made it to the entryway in no time, but paused for a moment to collect himself. He cleared his throat, then opened the door.

“Hey,” drawled Michael, a warm smile on his face and looking even better than Alex had ever seen him in the shop. His curls were mussed, like he’d been running his fingers through them, and the shirt he was wearing was unbuttoned just past the point of propriety. Alex swallowed.

“Hey yourself.” 

For a long moment, they just stood there, before Alex stepped back and said, “Come in.” 

Michael took a few steps into the living room, looking around with a curious gaze. “Nice place you’ve got here. You live alone?” 

Alex nodded. “It’s not bad. Close enough to walk to work.”

“I’m not far from here, over on East Cameron.” He approached Alex’s bookshelf and began to thumb through the titles on it, picking up a knick-knack here and there. It made Alex feel like he was being appraised. Then Michael turned to him. “So, should we get our stories straight?” 

“What do you mean?” His brow furrowed. “Oh— like— right.” 

Michael shrugged. “You know, how long have we been dating, who asked who out, what’s your favorite ice cream flavor—”

“Rocky road.” 

Michael raised his eyebrows and smirked. “Exactly.” 

Data and information, at least, Alex could do, even if he wasn’t the master of small talk. “Well, I didn’t tell them I was bringing a boyfriend, just a date. So I think we can get away with having this be early days.”

“Seems pretty realistic.” 

“Maybe we stick as closely to the truth as we can,” Alex pressed on. “We met at the coffee shop, hit it off, and have been seeing each other casually for a few weeks.” 

“So no need to worry about questions about when we’re gonna tie the knot, I guess.”

Alex puffed out an exhale. “There’s no telling with this group, to be honest. They’re like sharks. They can smell blood, so… just don’t bring up marriage.” 

Michael held up both hands and chuckled. “Hey, I left the engagement ring at home for now. Figured we could see how a date goes first.” 

“I think it needs to go well, or else they’re going to start fawning their offspring on me again.”

Michael furrowed his brow. “I meant— yeah, yeah, we can make sure to sell it.” 

Alex nodded decisively. “Good. Um… what else do we need to establish? Should I know a bit more about you?” 

“Not a lot to tell,” Michael said. He huffed out a breath and leaned back on his elbows against the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen. “Getting my PhD in mechanical engineering at UNM, working at the café most mornings to pay the bills. Fill in at a body shop closer to my place on weekends when they need an extra pair of hands.”

The words drew Alex’s gaze down to Michael’s hands, and he tried not to stare, tried not to wonder how calloused his palms might be, how they might feel when he— 

“What about you, Alex? Anything else I should know by the fourth date?” 

Alex quirked an eyebrow, grateful for a respite from the direction his thoughts had been leading. “Is this our fourth date?” 

Michael shrugged. “I figured that’s long enough to know we like each other, but not so long that we’d get a lot of invasive questions about where things are headed. That work for you?”

“Um. Yeah.” He nodded, belatedly. All of a sudden, this was feeling _real_. But somehow it didn’t feel weird, just… unexpected. 

“So what about you? I gotta be able to talk about you, too, in case I wind up in conversation with your boss or some nosy coworker of yours, right?” Michael looked so at home there, smirking across the room at him, backlit by the kitchen fluorescent, and Alex had to clear his throat again before he could speak. 

“Sure. Ah… retired Air Force Captain. Discharged about six months ago, which is when I moved here, found a job in IT, and, yeah. Here we are.” 

Michael eyed him thoughtfully. “What made you leave the Air Force?” 

Not Alex’s favorite topic, to say the least, but one that would have surely come up by the fourth date, so… He reached down and rapped his knuckles against his prosthetic through his jeans, grimacing. “Didn’t have much of a choice. My injury meant it was desk duty or discharge.” His chest tightened as he straightened up, but if he’d expected Michael to look horrified, or disgusted, then he was disappointed. 

“Is IT related to what you were doing in the Force?” 

Alex shrugged one shoulder. “Codebreaking, IT. It’s not as high stakes, these days. But it pays the bills.” 

Michael just hummed, and Alex wasn’t sure if he should keep talking, or ask him more questions, or cancel the whole evening. Instead, he said, “Well, shall we?” and gestured at the door.

  
  


The bar was only a few blocks from his apartment, so Alex suggested they walk. The air was brisk, and he tugged his jacket tighter around him to ward off the cold as they walked side by side down the street. 

“Okay, any last minute instructions before we head in?” Michael asked when they’d reached their destination. Alex peered in through the darkened windows; he couldn’t make out faces, but he could tell there were a number of people already there. 

“Um. No, I don’t think so. Just, if anyone asks, we’ve been on a few dates, and I guess it’s... “ He chuckled nervously. “Going well?” 

Michael stepped closer into his space, and Alex wasn’t sure if it was to block the wind, or what. “Last thing— how do you feel about PDA?”

Alex opened his mouth, then closed it again. “PDA?” 

“Well, yeah,” Michael answered with a good-natured roll of his eyes. “A couple on a fourth date is going to be a little more touchy-feely than two people who barely know each other. So… are you okay with that?” 

Alex’s lips felt incredibly dry all of a sudden, and he darted out his tongue to lick them. He hadn’t really given much thought to how a couple on a fourth date would act, in no small part because it had been awhile since he’d _been_ on a fourth date. When he realized that Michael was waiting for a response, he nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. Whatever feels natural.”

Michael grinned at him, then pushed the door to the bar open. 

“After you.” 

Alex watched him for a moment before stepping inside. He could see his boss and several of the C-suite execs hovering over by the bar, and a gaggle of accountants stood around hightops closer to the entrance. Alex sucked in a breath, feeling a little like he was embarking on a mission back during his service. 

Then Michael slid an arm around his waist, pulling him in tight against his side and slipping his hand up just below the untucked hem of Alex’s flannel. His thumb found the bare skin of Alex’s hip, above the waist of his jeans, and stroked gently there once, twice. Alex swallowed, noticing that several of the accountants’ eyes were drawn to them as they stood there in the foyer of the restaurant, pressed against each other like a real couple. Michael’s thumb on his skin sent a zip of adrenaline through his veins, but he shoved that feeling aside. 

It was, he supposed, showtime.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay-- I'd hoped to finish this before Christmas, and well, here we are. 
> 
> Thank you to the great [InsidiousIntent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsidiousIntent) for help with this final bit and the Junkyard for general cheerleading.

Whoever decorated the bar for Christmas did not have a light touch. Alex’s gaze flitted from the twinkle lights, to the shiny tinsel garland, to the actual train set running along the shelving unit behind the bar. 

“This place looks like an elf exploded,” Michael murmured in his ear, and Alex barked out a laugh. This was good. This, he could handle. Maybe he’d even have fun at this party, with a friend— could he call Michael a friend yet?— by his side. 

“Alex, over here!”

It was Brent, waving him over from the closest hightop table where he stood with a couple of accountants and a man Alex didn’t recognize. Michael’s arm tightened around Alex’s waist.

“This one of your setups?” he asked quietly. Alex waved back at Brent, then gestured toward the bar, turning to steer them there.

“Not the guy who waved. But the blond guy, I don’t recognize him. Probably Brent’s dentist’s friend’s son or something.” He shook his head. “Let’s get a drink first.” 

They leaned against the bar side-by-side as they waited to get the bartender’s attention, and a thought occurred to Alex. 

“You know, I’d say I’ll get your drinks all night, but it’s an open bar on the company's dime.” He looked over at Michael, who made an appreciative face. “So I definitely owe you after this. For doing this.” 

Michael turned back to look out for the bartender and shook his head. “Nah, you don’t.”

“Seriously, I really appreciate it, and—”

“It’s fine,” Michael said, his voice firm. “You don’t owe me anything, Alex. I’m the one who suggested this, remember?” The bartender walked over, and they ordered their drinks. When she turned away, Alex frowned. 

“Why? Why’d you suggest this, I mean?” He shrugged, picking at the cardboard beer coaster in front of him with one thumb. “I’m sure you have better things to do on a Friday night than this.”

Michael shifted his weight until he was leaning sideways on the bar, his entire body facing Alex. He flicked his gaze up and down, then smirked. “Hot guy, open bar… what could be better?” 

Alex was thankful the bartender chose that moment to return with their drinks. It gave him something to do with his hands, and somewhere to look that didn’t make him wonder if he was in totally over his head.

“Who’s your friend?” came a voice from behind them.

Alex closed his eyes briefly before turning around from the bar. He forced a smile on his face, and noticed Michael move to stand just a little bit closer to him. 

“Ah— this is my— this is Michael,” he said, smiling politely at Robin from HR. 

“His date,” Michael added helpfully.

Robin narrowed her eyes, taking a loud sip of the cocktail in her hand. “You mentioned you were bringing someone, but I wasn’t sure if you actually meant it,” she said, glancing over her shoulder in a way that was not at all discreet. Alex followed her gaze to see a tall, well-dressed man hovering awkwardly near the entrance— cute, he supposed, though if he was being honest with himself, not as cute as—

“Well, he _actually_ meant it,” Michael said, a bit of an edge to his voice. 

Robin’s eyes widened, and she took another sip of her drink. “Okay, well… you two enjoy yourselves.”

Before Alex could respond, Michael slipped his arm around Alex’s waist again and tugged him in closer, smirking at Robin. “Oh, don’t worry about us.” 

Once she was gone, Alex felt his posture relax, though he hadn’t even realized he was tense. Michael’s arm stayed around his waist, though, a warm weight against him.

“Is that what they’re all like?” Michael muttered, scanning the room. “Buncha busybodies?” 

Alex let out a slow exhale. “You don’t know the half of it.” If he’d hoped they’d take the hint and leave him and his date alone, he realized now that he’d been mistaken.

An hour later, Alex had ducked out of conversations with four other coworkers, most of whom were trying to introduce him to someone. Narrowly evading Carol the receptionist (and her mildly attractive dogwalker, who was in tow), they found an available hightop table and collapsed against it.

“Seriously, I don’t know how to thank you for this,” Alex said, and Michael started to shake his head. “I mean it. They may be well-intentioned, but I would have been thrown to the wolves tonight if you weren’t here with me.” He shook the near-empty drink in his hand, staring down into the ice as he said it. “So. Thank you.”

Michael appraised him for a long moment, before murmuring, “You’re welcome.” Something about his attention focused entirely on Alex made something flutter in his chest, and he did his best to ignore it, but still he couldn’t help but look up to meet Michael’s heavy gaze. 

At once, Alex knew that those were eyes he could get lost in, if he let himself.

Before he could do something he’d regret, he cleared his throat and looked down at the table, breaking the spell. “Did you see the way C.J. slipped me his cousin’s business card?” He laughed, pulling it out of his pocket and tossing it onto the table. “He whispered, ‘just in case it doesn’t work out.’ Even after you kissed me on the cheek right in front of him.” 

Michael picked up the business card and examined it, then began to tear it into neat strips until it was totally destroyed. “Guess I’ll have to lay it on a little thicker next time.” 

Alex opened his mouth to respond, but before he could ask what Michael meant by that, Terrance from the tax division appeared at their table with two other accountants beside him. At least Terrance, who was known as a talker, didn’t appear to bring with him any eligible bachelors. 

Next to him, Michael picked up a candy cane from the pile of festive candy in the middle of the table and started to play with it as he listened to the story Terrance had launched into. Alex watched as his long fingers spun it a few times, then picked at the little nub of the wrapper on the end until he could peel off one section, then the next. Nodding at something Terrance had said, Michael slipped the end of the candy cane into his mouth, just a hint of pink tongue peeking out as he did so, and Alex swallowed thickly. 

“So what happened to the dog?” Michael asked around the candy cane, a question that must relate in some way to Terrance’s story, though Alex had stopped paying any attention. How could he, when Michael was sliding the candy cane slowly in and out of his mouth, his lips pursing and cheeks almost hollowing as he sucked on it? 

Just then, Michael glanced at Alex out of the corner of his eye, and— was that a wink? 

“Hey— sorry to interrupt you, Terrance, but I think Sheryl is calling us over,” Alex said, grabbing Michael by the elbow with a little more force than necessary. With a nod to the rest of the table, he pulled him away until they were in a more secluded corner of the bar, back by the entrance to the kitchen. 

“Trying to get me alone, huh?” Michael drawled, and Alex narrowed his eyes at him.

“What are you doing?” 

He held up his hands innocently. One of them still held the candy cane, now sharpened to a point. “I don’t know what you could possibly be talking about.” 

Alex scoffed, then gestured at the candy cane. “You— that. And before. All night, really, even when it’s just the two of us. You’re being all— _flirty_.” 

A smile crept across Michael’s face, slow like molasses. “Finally noticed that, did you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Michael opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Sheryl’s excitable voice rang out from behind them. 

“Ooh, looks like you two found the mistletoe!”

Alex’s chest tightened, and he looked first at Michael— who wore the same wide-eyed expression— then at Sheryl— who beamed at them from a few feet away— then up, up, up, to the sprig of mistletoe hanging right above the alcove where they stood. 

Sheryl took a noisy sip of her drink through her straw. “Tina was worried HR might not be happy if we hung up mistletoe, but it’s so festive! And I heard the two of you came together— so no company liability there!”

She didn’t seem to have any intention of going away anytime soon. Alex grimaced, then forced himself to meet Michael’s gaze again. When he did, one corner of Michael’s mouth quirked up, and he shrugged one shoulder. Everything about his presence said _I’m game if you are._

Clearing his throat, Alex took a tiny step forward into his space, then another. Michael followed his lead, meeting him halfway and reaching out to lightly run his hand up Alex’s arm, to his shoulder, to rest gently on the back of his neck. Alex felt his fingers twitch at his sides. This was not a turn he’d expected the night to take.

“You gonna leave me hanging?” Michael asked teasingly, quiet enough so Sheryl couldn’t hear. Alex let out a breath, then shook his head, stepping closer and bringing both hands up to cup Michael’s jaw and pull him in. 

His lips were soft as they slid against his own, and Alex let himself sink into the feeling, if only for a moment. Michael’s free hand came up to grip Alex’s hip, and he could feel the warm planes of his body, just inches away. 

Alex brushed a thumb over the spot beneath Michael’s ear, and thought he felt him shiver under his touch, but then Sheryl giggled, and Alex pulled away. As he stepped back, he could feel Michael’s eyes on him. 

“Tina’s going to be so upset that she missed seeing the mistletoe in action!” Sheryl said. She turned toward the hallway that led to the bathrooms, then looked back at them over her shoulder and sighed. “You two are so cute.” Then she disappeared. 

For a moment, Alex felt like he was sinking in quicksand, stuck in place, unable to move from his spot, still so close to Michael that he could feel the heat radiating from his body. Blinking to rid himself of the feeling, he started to take another step back, murmuring, “You’re very convincing.” 

And then all at once, Michael let out a groan, grabbed him by the arm, and yanked him out the exit door that led to the alley behind the bar. The door slammed shut with a metallic _thunk_ , and they were alone in the cool night air. 

Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “What was _that_ about?” 

Michael’s smirk looked like a challenge. “Just thought you might want to get away from those coworkers of yours for a minute. Take a break from pretending. Get some fresh air.” 

Sniffing the air reflexively, Alex made a show of looking around the alley, at the dumpster, at the bucket beside the door filled with cigarette butts, then back at Michael, who just rolled his eyes.

“Party’s almost over,” he said, and Alex glanced at his watch. It was late, though not _that_ late. But he supposed Michael probably wanted to get home (or meet up with someone else, a thought that deflated him).

“It’s fine if you want to head out. I can fend them off by myself for the last hour or so.” He didn’t relish the idea of it, actually. It had been nice having Michael there by his side. “Or maybe I’ll head home, too. I’ve got a book I’ve been meaning to finish, and it’s still early enough.” 

Michael huffed out a sigh, putting both hands on his hips and leveling Alex with a stare. Those eyes, again. “Do you really not know, Alex?” 

“Know what?” 

“You asked me earlier, at the bar.” Michael gestured at the door. “You asked why I agreed to do this. You really don’t get it?” 

Alex frowned. “Don’t get what? What am I missing?” 

With a rueful laugh, Michael shook his head. “I agreed to do it because I’ve been trying to come up with a way to ask you out since you started coming into the shop three months ago.” 

_Oh._

Alex felt that quicksand feeling again, holding him in place as his heart sped up in his chest. All he could manage to say was, “What?” 

Michael let out a breath. “Yeah. And if I’ve been ‘convincing’ all night,” he continued, using finger quotes on the word ‘convincing,’ “Then it’s just because it’s not all that hard for me to act like I’m into you when I’m really, really into you.” He let his arms fall back to his sides, and Alex realized that as he’d been speaking, he’d been stepping closer to Alex, just a little bit at a time, as if to give him plenty of time to back away, if that was what he wanted.

That wasn’t what he wanted. 

Instead, Alex stood still until Michael was almost crowding into his space, their chests nearly touching, a mirror image of how they’d stood just minutes before beneath the mistletoe. He wet his lips, then watched as Michael’s gaze dropped to his mouth, both of them breathing heavier. 

All at once, Michael surged forward to kiss him, pressing Alex up close against the brick wall of the bar but still managing to slide a hand into his hair so his head wouldn’t make impact. Alex melted into the kiss, already feeling hot all over, and took the opportunity to slide a hand up into Michael’s curls too, tugging softly. The noise Michael made in response should have been criminal in all 50 states.

Alex didn’t know how long they stood there kissing, the brick wall rough against his back and Michael’s body warm and pliant beneath his hands, but eventually they broke apart for air. Michael rested his forehead on Alex’s and breathed, eyes still shut.

“That convincing enough for you?” he asked hoarsely. Alex just nodded, stroking his palm down along Michael’s jaw. 

Eventually, the bartender stepped into the alley for a smoke break and shooed them inside, where they ducked everyone who tried to talk to them on their way out of the bar. They headed back to Alex’s apartment, and for the rest of the night and on into the morning, there was no more pretending.

**Author's Note:**

> Want to hang out on tumblr? I'm [unbreakablejemmasimmons](http://unbreakablejemmasimmons.tumblr.com) over there!


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